


I Fought The Law

by Texan_Red_Rose



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Bandits & Outlaws, F/F, Flirting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 14:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17747873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texan_Red_Rose/pseuds/Texan_Red_Rose
Summary: Winter is the new Sheriff in a town plagued by two gangs vying for power. The White Fang Gang and the Branwen Gang, two groups of scoundrels who've torn the town up more than a time or two. Realizing the challenge ahead of her, Winter opts to try baiting out one of the bandits, and Yang Branwen's not the sort to turn down an invitation. It's the beginning of a cat and mouse game between a woman of the law and a woman born to break it.





	I Fought The Law

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly thought I'd posted this ages ago. Spawned from a joke in the EB server.

Winter sat down at her new desk. 

Frankly, after being discharged from the Atlesian Military due to a… disagreement with a superior officer, she’d expected some manner of exile from her home. Father hadn’t been pleased when his wayward eldest child’s name appeared in headlines, bringing the Schnee family under renewed scrutiny seeing as his middle daughter had disappeared subsequent to a public blowout with the man at a charity ball not too long ago. Leaving the kingdom seemed the best course of action, at least until the tabloids had something else to chase.

However, truth be told, she didn’t see much sense in returning. It would just mean being subject to her father’s whims again and she’d found herself unable to agree with the man’s business practices for far too long, much less his personality. In fact, most of Atlas’ social mores grated on her nerves, so accepting a job offer in Vale seemed like the best of her options: it put a sea between her and the rest of her family, it likely would be where she’d find her sister, and it provided her with board and a stable income while she lived there.

“Sheriff?”

But there existed a few… caveats.

She looked up, watching as the Mayor of the small town trudged in, a heavy weight to his brow. Young- younger than herself, at any rate- but already looking far past his years as he pulled out the chair on the other side of her desk and plopped down. At least a head taller than her with broad shoulders and deeply tanned skin, Yatsuhashi would be entirely out of place among the cold snow of Atlas, though her blended in with the locals far better than  _she_  did- a foreigner in a strange land, yet given a badge and expected to uphold laws like someone born to it. Were she a little less keen, she might blame this peculiar choice on his inexperience or his youth, but Winter had done her research prior to accepting the position.

No local would be foolish enough to take the badge.

“Can I help you, Mayor Dashi?”

“Yatsu, please. We’re a bit informal around here.” He ran a hand over his face and sighed. 

She couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Yet, you address me as ‘Sheriff’, even before my first official day on the job.”

“Well, allow me to rephrase.” He gave her a wan smile. “We’re informal but you’re the newcomer we gotta butter up to keep around.”

“Tell me, what’s so difficult about this position that it’s remained open for so long?” Tilting her head, she watched the line of his shoulders become more tense, as if dreading that very question. So, she decided to do one better. “And why won’t any local take it?”

“You may be new around here but I suspect you know a thing or two about the Branwen gang? Maybe the White Fang gang, too?”

That brought a frown to her lips. “Yes, to both. Notorious gangs that are responsible for multiple robberies, constantly eluding arrest- both make their home somewhere on the Vale frontier. The location varies based on the telling.”

“Well, wonder no more.” He pointed towards the door. “To the west, we have the White Fang gang’s territory.” Then towards the back wall of the jail. “To the east, the Branwen gang.” A sigh left his lips as he passed a hand over his face. “We’re smack between them. If they aren’t tearing up the town in shootouts, they’re taking turns stealing our cattle and supplies. Half the town wants to leave but we’ve no place to go. The only way out is to join one gang or the other and we’re honest folk.” The Mayor spread his hands. “If we don’t do something soon, we’re gonna starve out here.”

Winter pressed her lips into a thin line, looking down at the twin six shooters holstered at her thighs. She didn’t bring many personal effects from Atlas aside from her pistols and a saber from her service but the last sheriff at least left behind a long rifle for her to use, currently mounted on the far wall. If she’d known the odds she’d be facing, she would’ve tried smuggling a few more weapons in her luggage.

Then her eyes went to the shining, five pointed star badge set on the desk. “Very well. Do you have any information on the bandits most often seen around town?”

The Mayor nodded, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a thin stack of papers. “Here are the wanted posters we had printed up a few months ago. We… don’t have the money for a reward but these five have stirred up enough trouble that even Vale is offering a reward.”

“So, catch them, turn them over to the feds, and use the reward money to save the town.”

“That’s the plan.”

“I’m glad there’s no pressure.” She held out a hand. “Tell me more about them.”

As he handed her the posters, she looked them over, listening intently to the information provided. Any bit of advantage she could get would be vital.

“That first one there is known only as The Belladonna- a cat Faunus thief who excels at train robberies. She’s usually content to just take what she wants and leave without hurting anyone.” Winter looked at the crude ink rendering, hair and ears blending together. No scars or birth marks- fairly nondescript but there weren’t many Faunus in the area- or humans, for that matter- so spotting her out shouldn’t be too difficult. “She operates with a partner, the current leader of the White Fang gang. He’s known as ‘The Bull’ for… fairly obvious reasons.” A bull Faunus- how original- with back swept horns and an ornate mask of some sort obscuring his eyes. “He’s…  _much_  more trouble.”

“Is he ever seen without his mask?”

“Not that anyone’s lived to tell.”

She nodded. Frankly, she didn’t think it wise to confront the primarily Faunus White Fang gang right off the bat. Given her lineage, she’d likely bring more trouble than the group already gave the small town. Best to give it time, see if she could establish a persona distinct from her family before attempting to make contact- or, if that failed, have a plan ready for when the all out war began. “And the other three?”

“Branwen gang.” Yatsuhashi grimaced. “First one’s the leader, Raven Branwen. She’s… somethin’ alright. Usually doesn’t come around unless there’s a big prize on a train or a big herd passing through.” Wild hair, a scowl, and a bandanna around her neck- again, rather nondescript, save for the peculiar cowlick. “Then, there’s Qrow Branwen- he’s Raven’s brother. Mostly just a lousy drunk who’ll trash the saloon once he can’t walk straight.” Scruff along his jaw and a cocky smirk that seemed to radiate indifference, he had the same messy hair even if he lacked the scowl. “And then, there’s Yang Branwen. Raven’s kid, probably gonna take over the gang one day. She’s the heavy hitter, goes on almost every run the gang goes on. Don’t let her get in close; she has a wicked right hook that’ll put your lights out.”

Same cowlick as her mother, but where the other woman had a wild mess of black ink for hair, Yang didn’t, nor the scowl. Just a bandanna around her neck and a little smirk- not as cocky, but certainly speaking to a level of arrogance.

She could use that.

“How old is Yang?”

Yatsuhashi seemed surprised by the question, scratching at the hollow of his jaw for a moment. “Dunno. Couldn’t be more than twenty-five? I heard somewhere that she’s got a little sister, just a few years younger, and that she’s about my age, so right around mid twenties. Why?”

“I have an alteration I’d like to make.” A small grin curled her lips. Time to find out exactly what sort of outlaws she was dealing with here. “If you could make the correction and then send these out to every neighboring town, that would be  _greatly_  appreciated.”

“What’s the change, Sheriff?”

Winter hoped, at the very least, that she didn’t make things worse.

* * *

Yang lifted her scarf a little higher, covering up her nose as they rode into town. One of the bigger ones down by the river, good place for gambling or liquor, but she and Junior were there for neither this time around. They needed to gather information about a supposed train that would be passing through laden with taxes from southern Vale bound for the capitol- a payday they hoped to get before the White Fang gang caught wind of it. After the last time they’d crossed paths with the rival bandits, they’d adopted a policy of avoiding each other- Raven had mentioned something about ‘ideological similarities’ but didn’t bother to elaborate.

Not that the woman ever did, of course. Her mother had somehow mastered the art of being both straightforward and cryptic in the same breath, an admirable but ultimately frustrating skill that Yang didn’t want in the slightest.

“You’re thinkin’ ‘bout your ma again,” Junior said, his hat pulled low over his eyes as their horses walked along the main road towards the saloon. “You always start poutin’ when you think about her.”

“I ain’t poutin’,” she replied, clearing her throat and adjusting her hat a bit. Probably one of the best ways to hide whenever she went out and about happened to be wearing a hand to cover her cowlick and tying her hair back, plus swapping her usual orange scarf for a dusty old grey one. “I just hate doing the recon part. Why can’t Qrow do this, or the twins?”

“Because your ma says you gotta learn how to do it.” The man leaned away and spat some of his chewing tobacco on the ground before turning a pointed look towards her. “ _Without_  starting a bar fight.”

“I didn’t start it  _last_  time!” She couldn’t help but smirk. “I  _did_  finish it, though.”

As they moved further into town, they passed the large wooden board filled with notices- calls for workers, latest news from the capitol, and more than a few wanted posters. Yang couldn’t help but sneak a peak at them, her spirits lifting even higher.

“Heh, my bounty went up again,” she said, pulling back on the reins as a furrow came to her brow, looking back at the board to confirm what she’d seen. “Wait a minute…”

“C’mon, kid, we can stroke your ego later, let’s-”

“Now hold on.” Swinging her leg over the saddle, she dismounted and kept her reins in hand, stepping closer to the board to inspect her poster. Aside from a pretty good artist’s rendering of her and the higher bounty, one other thing happened to catch her eye. “Wanted for… stealing my heart?” Junior stepped up beside her, chest stuttering as he tried to contain his amusement. “See Sheriff of Pastel- Pastel, ain’t that the city on the border of our territory and the White Fang’s?”

“You mean the place we shot to Hell and back last month? Yeah, that’s the place.” Junior spat again. “Last I heard, they hired some lady from Atlas to come be the Sheriff.”

“Atlas, huh?” Yang tilted her head to the side and mulled it over.

On the one hand, if this new Sheriff might be trying to get on her good side, maybe arrange a little… quid pro quo on behalf of the town, well, that was one thing. But if she wasn’t…

… well, the bandit couldn’t rightly tell what  _would_  be the aim otherwise.

“What crazy idea just popped into that head o’ yours?” He clapped her on the shoulder. “You aren’t seriously considering turning yourself over to some lady o’ the law, are you?”

“Nah.” Her lips lifted into a wide, bright smile. “But it would be  _awfully_  rude not to go introduce myself properly.”

* * *

Winter tied off her horse- a gift from the town, just like her rarely visited lodging and almost everything else she could claim to own- to the post just outside the jail, reaching up to remove her hat while glancing at the sun setting behind the line of storefronts across the street. Unlike Atlas, with its mountains and clouds, the flat land of Vale and clear sky allowed for beautiful hues of orange, pink, and purple to streak the sky as the day’s heat slowly dissipated. It would be a warm night with only the lanterns to keep her company as she studied the maps of the surrounding area, the property lines and trails the crisscrosses the frontier. At the very least, she could take off her long coat and spurs, maybe even unbutton her surcoat. Let down her hair and brush it out, try to assuage the tension built up over hours of riding around the town to visit the people, understand their needs.

Really, it just boiled down to keeping the gangs out of town. It seemed both simple and impossible at the same time.

Pushing through the door to the jail, Winter came to a dead stop as she hung her hat on the nail beside the door frame, in the process of removing her gloves and slipping her coat off one shoulder when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, a sure sign she was being watched. Sure enough, when she looked over at the desk, she saw her- Yang Branwen, in the flesh, sitting in her chair with her boots propped up on the desk, dirt falling from the sole and one point of her starred spur digging into the wood. That cowlick, the orange bandanna around her neck, the arrogant-bordering-on-cocky smile, no doubt she now stood face-to-face with one of the most wanted women in all of Vale, if not Remnant.

“Evenin’, Sheriff.” Lilac eyes gave her a once over as her smile widened. “I heard you were looking for me. Somethin’ about… stealing your heart? Quite a charge, if I do say so myself.”

“Well, I’m very aware of my tastes,” she said, taking off her long coat and hanging it beside her hat with her gloves tucked into the pocket. On the one hand, it put her pistols on display, strapped to her thighs as they were. Not that she’d need them, of course. However, when she turned back towards the desk, she noted that the threats were ignored for the moment, the bandit’s gaze intead tracing over her bare arms, her surcoat and shirt beneath lacking sleeves and hugging her frame rather flatteringly- which she had to bank on for the time being. “Although I must admit the pictures didn’t do you justice.”

“That so?” Removing them from the desk, Yang got to her feet and sauntered around, leaning back against the wood and cocking her head to one side, crossing her arms over her chest. Large biceps flexed with the motion, moving beneath tanned skin, just like her abdominal muscles stood out prominently from beneath the hem of her shirt, the leather vest over top doing little to hide the considerable solidity of her frame. One pistol hung on her hip, the other on her thigh, and she had two bits of fabric- one wrapped around her left bicep, the other just below her left knee- that had to hold some sort of significance. The bandit looked more like a mountain personified- strong, stable, immobile- and Winter would need to tread carefully. She might win a gunfight, but she’d lose hand-to-hand. “Why don’t you tell me more?“

“Looking for flattery, are you?” Summoning a childhood spent playing a part and even her military training, Winter flashed a dazzling, charming smile and began sauntering her way towards the bandit, counting her steps in the back of her mind. “Very well. I’ll admit, the first thing that caught my eye was your smile. Ink simply doesn’t do it justice.”

“Yeah?” It probably wasn’t intentional, the way her lips pulled wider at that, but it served as a good sign that she was on the right track.

“Of course. It speaks of confidence, a zest for life- both very… attractive qualities.” She reached up, unbuttoning the first button on her surcoat. “Then, your hair.”

“Really?” The leather of her gloves creaked a little as she reached up to tease at blonde strands, and that told just as much as any other part of this encounter. The bandit had put on new gloves for their meeting with old spurs- she prized functionality but wanted to make a good impression all the same. Curious.

“Wild and untamed, much like the frontier- your disregard for the law, I think, is more rooted in an understanding of what true freedom is rather than simply vagrancy.” Winter had nearly made it within arms’ reach, one of her hands sliding towards her belt while the other reached up, pushing her bangs towards her right ear.

Yang tilted her head, tucking her thumbs into her belt. “And what is ‘true freedom’ to you?”

“The ability to choose. To make your own priorities, your own rules- to seek that which you…  _want_  most.” Lowering her voice, the Sheriff took a single step closer. “To not let anything stop you, least of all the opinions of others.”

“I can’t say you’re wrong so far.” Yang pushed off the desk, and only now did it occur to either of them that the bandit stood almost a full head shorter than Winter, but that didn’t seem to bother her in the least. “I definitely get what I want, when I want it. I take it for myself, with my own two hands.”

Winter chuckled, eyes flicking down to confirm the bandit had started reaching for her hips. “I think you have the right idea. Perhaps I should take a page out of your book.”

One hand reached towards the blonde’s face, an action that seemed to be encouraged by the twinkle in lilac eyes. She canted her head, as if she might be going in for a kiss…

… right before she moved her other hand, slapping her handcuffs onto the bandit’s wrists in one fluid motion she’d practiced all week.

“What…” Yang blinked, looking down and tugging at the bonds now binding her hands together. “… the  _hell_  just happened?”

“What I  _want_  is to place you under arrest.” Winter smirked, torquing her wrist to put pressure on the cuffs and bringing the bandit to her knees with a pained groan. “And it seems I’ve gotten it.”

“Wait, did, you,  _what_?” With a rough jerk, the blonde had no choice but to follow her until she found herself roughly thrown into the awaiting jail cell adjacent to Winter’s desk, rolling on the floor as the door slammed shut. “WHAT’S GOING ON?”

“I realize this may be something of a novelty for you, but you’ve just been arrested and detained pending transport to proper authorities.” The Sheriff briskly explained, buttoning her surcoat against and tucking the cell’s key into the pouch on her belt. “You have a cot and facilities; I’ll bring you dinner shortly.”

Getting to her feet, the bandit walked to the cell door, griping the bars with her hands and frowning. “You set me up.”

“No, I merely baited you;  _you_  set yourself up. Rather nicely too, might I add.” Winter flashed a smile- a little smug, if only because of how easy the whole process proved to be. “It’s surprising you’ve remained free this long, all things considered.”

For a moment, Yang just stared, before a laugh burst through her lips. “Alright, Sheriff. What’s your name?”

“Winter.”

“Winter, huh?” She nodded, turning around and heading to the cot, plopping down on it with a sigh and leaning back against the wall. “Good job, Sheriff Winter. You got one o’ us. That won’t work on my Ma or Uncle, though.”

“If they don’t come looking for you themselves, you mean?” She shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll deal with them when the time comes.” Winter turned towards the door. “I’ll fetch your dinner. Just sit tight.”

A smile curled the bandit’s lips. “Oh, you’re actually hotter when you’re smug than when you’re fake flirty.”

Ignoring it, she left the jail and started for the saloon- they didn’t offer much in the way of food, but a pot always sat bubbling over the fire, so it would do for now.

* * *

Yang leaned her head back until it hit the wall. “So… this didn’t go like I’d planned.”

Honestly, she hadn’t expected much. After hearing a little bit about the new Sheriff in town, the bandit thought swinging by and seeing what sort of offer would be on the table warranted her attention. It never even crossed her mind that she might be walking into a trap; maybe her Ma had the right of it. She’d gotten complacent recently, riding on their notoriety to do most of the work for her. Three years ago, she would’ve seen the set up for what it was.

And… okay,  _maybe_  she would’ve fallen for it anyway. The Sheriff had strikingly blue eyes and carried herself like she could walk through fire unblinking, and wearing so many layers in this heat constituted a bold choice. It… gave her reason to pause and consider, at least, what it might be like if Winter had meant any of her flirtation in all seriousness. She didn’t have the same musculature as Yang did, a little softer in the arms and belly, but that didn’t count as a bad thing by the blonde’s estimations. Pure white hair, like the snow she’d read about- a unique trait, for sure. Her lips looked soft, if a bit cracked from the heat, and she’d have liked the chance to lick them smooth.

Maybe she should stop by a brothel on her way back to camp. Because, much to the Sheriff’s chagrin, Yang didn’t plan on spending longer than a night within the walls of the jail.

The door swung open and she looked over, noting the bowl with a spoon stuck in it held in one hand and a glass of water in the other. By the smell, some manner of stew, which would be good enough to hold her over. She hadn’t exactly planned on staying for dinner but wouldn’t turn down hospitality.

“Here,” the Sheriff said, putting both through the bars and waiting for her to come over and take them. “I’ll fetch you breakfast in the morning but that’s it. No midnight snacks.”

“Yeesh, maybe they should call you Warden instead.” Heading back over to the cot, Yang plopped down against and started eating as best she could with her wrists in cuffs. “This why you came all the way out here? Rustle up some bandits, be the long arm of the law?”

“That’s just what pays the bills.” The woman went over to her desk and sat down, pulling out a telegraph request from one of the drawers. “I came out here for the same reason you did. I needed a fresh start.” Around a mouthful of stew, she couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head. “What’s so amusing?”

“I didn’t choose this. I’m out here because I ain’t got no place else to go.” She paused to sip the water- likely, the only bit she’d get until she busted herself out. “I was born into it. Kinda.”

“Everyone has a choice.” The Sheriff frowned at her. “The Branwen gang’s only been active for twenty years or so and you’re a bit older than that.”

“Yeah, that part’s true, I guess.” Her head lolled to the side, a smile on her lips. “But when your choices are staying with the only family you have and leaving… what would you pick?”

“I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong person that question.” She turned her attention back to the paper in front of her. “I’ve done all I can to leave my family behind.”

“I admire that.” Another mouthful of stew. “I can’t imagine it, really. I think Ma wishes I’d leave sometimes but… she’s all I know.”

“You don’t have a father?”

“Not anymore.” She paused, a frown tugging at her lips. “He was a good man, Ma says. He lived on Patch- it’s an island, just off the northern coast. Ma liked him well enough but she hated the idea of living on an island- said it was like a prison, with the sea as the guard. She didn’t know until she’d made it all the way out here that she was pregnant with me and, by that time, traveling back would have to wait until I was born.” With as many times as she’d heard the story, she’d committed it to heart. It kept her motivated. “She came out here to raise cattle. Liked being able to see a horizon that stretched on forever, that she could just walk in any direction if she wanted to and nothing and no one could stop her. Once I was old enough to eat solid food, she figured it’d be safe to take me back to Patch and leave me with my Pa. But, when she got there…” This was always the part where Ma’s expression turned tight and dark, and danger flashed in her eyes. “They told her he’d been killed. Executed for supporting the old King even after the new government took over.” With the spoon, she stirred the contents of the bowl. It was strange, feeling sorrow for someone she’d never met, but it always made her wonder what it would’ve been like growing up with him instead. No burglaries, no hustlin’ pool, no evading the law or killing other bandits before they got her first, and no horses, no cattle, no unrelenting sun- just a normal life beneath the shade of trees and listening to the lapping sea every night. “My Ma thought about leaving me with his wife and her kid but… she was too mad to think straight. She and Pa didn’t see eye-to-eye on things, but she didn’t want him dead. So we came back out here, and Ma started up the gang. Guess she figured, if the new government wanted bloodshed that bad, she’d be the one to give it to ‘em, and she’s made pretty good on it, too.”

Busying herself with the stew, Yang ate as silence filled the room.

“Why tell me all this?” The Sheriff pushed away from her desk, quirking a brow at the cell.

“Well, for one, you probably won’t believe it anyway.” She shrugged. “And, for another, it’s not like I get to talk about it at camp. It just launches another rolling rant about how the government is shit and we’re better off without ‘em.” A sip of water, followed by a bitter chuckle. “Besides, you act like you know the first thing about me, telling me I had a choice in all this. What am I supposed to do? Run off to the big city? Land a job doing… what? The only skills I got ain’t gonna cut it anywhere that glitters. No one’s offering  _me_  a way out, so I might as well stick with what works.”

Winter crossed one leg over the other, propping her head up with her arm and resting her elbow on the desk. “Being in a jail cell counts as ‘what works’? That type of thinking will get you killed.”

“Everybody dies,” she replied, jerking her chin towards the Sheriff. “And you’re one to talk. Putting yourself between two gangs is a good way to get yourself killed, too.”

“I’m willing to gamble with my life, if it means securing my happiness.”

“That sounds like a roundabout way of calling me a coward.”

“If the boot fits.”

A smile curled Yang’s lips. “You’re a helluva spitfire, ya know that?”

“Good to know I have your approval.” Getting to her feet, Winter turned towards the door. “I’m going to drop this off at the post office. I’m sure someone from Vale will be here to pick you up in a few days. Until then-”

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Junior stepped in, wearing his nicest duds and a fresh cut to his beard. He actually looked decently respectable. “Oh, apologies, Sheriff. Almost hit ya with the door there.”

“It’s not a problem, Mister…”

“Xiong, though most just call me Hei.” Reaching up, he tipped his hat politely. “I own a saloon down in Pale Valley. Passing this way, heard there’s a new Sheriff in town, thought I’d come an’ introduce myself.”

Winter’s expression hardened a moment later as he turned his head to spit. “Take that outside.” He raised a brow at her, perhaps surprised by the sternness of her tone. “This is a jail, not a saloon, and I’m not a fan of tobacco, no matter the form.”

Slowly, he nodded, stepping towards the door and spitting, hooking a finger through his lip to toss out the wad. “Apologies, Sheriff.”

“Consider yourself warned.” She held up the paper. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to have this message sent out tonight.”

“Er, it’s well past sunset, though.” Junior reached up, scratching at his beard. “I, uh, suppose you could go find Ren and ask his to send it anyway, though. He’s a good man, I’m sure he won’t mind.”

For a moment, the Sheriff seemed to mull the idea over, glancing over towards Yang in her cell. “I… suppose it could wait until morning. It’s not like she’s going anywhere.”

Only then did Junior look her way, feigning surprise- and hiding his amusement- rather well. “Well I’ll be a rattlesnake’s uncle, is that Yang Branwen of the Branwen gang?”

“Indeed it is.”

“Damn, Sheriff, you mean business!” A hearty laugh left his lips as he lightly slapped her shoulder. A brief flicker of annoyance passed over her expression for a moment and the bandit had to hide her smile behind the cup of water. “I can’t wait to tell the folks down in Pale Valley about this. Maybe I can convince a few to come and settle out here, with an officer like you protecting people.”

“I’ll thank you to keep this quiet for the time being.” Blue eyes shot her way. “I’d rather have  _this_  one sent off before the rest of the gang shows up.”

“Of course, Sheriff.” He smiled and tipped his hat again. “Well, I’d best bunk down for the night. Gotta get up early to make it back to Pale Valley. You have yourself a good night, Sheriff.”

“You too, Mr. Xiong.” Now with her errand postponed until the morning, Winter returned to her desk, setting the telegraph paper down and crossing her arms over her chest.

Finishing off her water, Yang set the cup and bowl just outside her cell door before returning to her cot. “It’s gettin’ mighty late, Sheriff. Aren’t you gonna grab some shut eye?”

“As long as you’re in that cell, I’ll be sleeping here.” She nodded towards a corner the bandit couldn’t see. “So sorry to foil your escape attempt before it’s even began.”

“Now, Sheriff, there’s no reason to be so  _mean_  about it.” A chuckle slipped past her lips as she settled back against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment. But then, her curiosity got the better of her and a question popped out. “What’s so bad about your family that made it so easy for you to turn your back on ‘em?”

 _Something_  flickered across the woman’s face- too fast to discern, really- but it caught Yang’s attention all the same, watching as her shoulders rose slightly and expression hardened. She’d touched a  _nerve_ , to put it lightly.

“That’s none of your concern.”

“Maybe not, but, hey, for as shit as my criminal family is, at least I got people.” She gestured around. “You’re out here all alone.”

“I’ve lived my entire life alone.” A twitch of her eyes, almost a wince- an obvious tell she would’ve missed had she not been watching so closely. “This is nothing new, save for the removal of a pretense otherwise.”

“There’s someone you miss.” Holding up a finger, she smirked. “Just one, I think, but for that one, you  _do_  regret not being there.” With a bit of smugness in her tone, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes again. “I may be a coward, but I can honestly say I was there for my family when they needed me. Guess that’s our trade off, Sheriff.”

Yang could  _feel_  the icy cold glare shot her way, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end from the shiver she just barely repressed creeping through her. She’d just  _hammered_  onto the Sheriff’s hot button hard and, honestly, she was  _very_  impressed with the woman’s ability to keep her cool, even as furious as she had to be right then. Being called a coward came often enough when she favored the color yellow as often as she did, so that didn’t bother her none, but if someone  _had_  gotten under her skin the way she’d gotten under Winter’s, she’d be punching her way through the wall.

But not the Sheriff. She just sat there, glaring, furious but biting her tongue.

Probably not good for the woman’s health but it wouldn’t matter much longer. With all the information she wanted for the moment, Yang could just sit back and bide her time a little longer.

* * *

Winter’s brows furrowed as drew in a deep breath through her nose. Strange- she could smell freshly cooked eggs and bacon. And she didn’t remember making it to her cot the night before, or grabbing her coat to use as a blanket.

Forcing her eyes open, she sat up, her own jacket sliding down as she looked around, blood running cold a moment later.

The jail cell door stood ajar, a plate with scrambled eggs and bacon sitting on her desk, and she quite clearly remembered sitting in her chair prior to nodding off.

Launching herself to her feet, she went over to the desk, finding the telegraph message she’d written the night before turned over and a new message scrawled across the page.

 _Sorry to disappoint, Sheriff, but I’m afraid I can’t join you for breakfast. Tucked you in proper- you shouldn’t sleep in that chair, ya know. It’s murder on your back. Oh, and thanks for dinner. See you around!_  
-Yang  
P.S. Glad you didn’t send this message off. That would’ve been mighty embarrassing!

Pressing her lips into a tight line, she crinkled the paper as her hand curled into a fist. “Damned bandit.”

Grudgingly, she sat down at her desk and pulled the plate closer to her. 

No reason good food should go to waste.

* * *

Yang looked at the horizon, having traveled these parts long enough to pick out even the most minute of landmarks. Given their fresh horses and the sun not being nearly as relentless as usual for this time of year, they’d probably make it back to camp before noon.

“So…” Junior ventured carefully. “We gonna tell Raven about this?”

“ _Hell_  no.” A laugh bubbled up from her chest. “You know she hates when I clown on the law. And we ain’t tellin’ Uncle Qrow either; he’s just as bad.”

The look he shot her said that he didn’t believe she was ‘clowning’ in the slightest but he kept silent, the jingling of their tack and beating of their horses hooves the only sound to accompany them.

Yang allowed her mind to wander for a moment, back to the jail. She wondered how mad the Sheriff would be when she woke up and found the plate and note, but she could clearly picture the way her brows would furrow and her lips turn down at the corners in a severe frown. 

And she had to admit… it was kinda cute.


End file.
